Olumide arrived at the doctor’s office last.
“Shut the door,” Ajoke said.
He shut the door behind him as his eyes surveyed the room.
Yetunde sat between her parents on the red couch in the corner.
Ajoke shuffled towards the leather clad hospital bed but Olumide stood by the door.
The doctor looked up, dropping her pen on the file as her eyes widened, “Are you all related to the girl?”
“Yes.”
The doctor’s eyes bounced between him and Ajoke before resting on a sobbing Yetunde. “Who are Modupe’s parents?”
“What’s wrong with her? Will she be okay?” Yetunde’s lips trembled.
“Well…” The doctor shifted. “The situation doesn’t look too good.”
Olumide’s chest tightened as the doctor reorganized the files on the desk.
“What exactly is not looking good?” Yetunde’s dad linked his fingers together.
“We’ve stopped most of the blood flow and her injury is of little concern.”
“Thank God.” Ajoke placed a hand on her deflating chest.
“There is something else to worry about”
“Something else? What else? You said her injury is fine.” Yetunde’s mother replied.
“For the injury, she will need a few stitches, some drugs and proper care to prevent an infection. The real problem is the blood loss. She will need a transfusion.”
“Transfusion?”
“Oh God. Olumide, you see. See what you’ve done.” Yetunde cried.
Olumide held the back of the empty chair in front of the doctor’s desk. “The transfusion; the stitches, how much would it cost?”
The doctor sighed. “It’s not a matter of cost. We’ve sampled her blood. She’s A negative and we don’t have that blood type in —”
“This a blood centre. How can you not have blood?” Ajoke shrieked.
“We do have blood. Just not anything compatible with Modupe’s body. The Corona Virus and lockdowns created a backlog of blood patients and a shortage of donors. Since the lockdown cleared up, there has been a huge demand that we haven’t been able to meet up with.”
Nobody spoke after the doctor’s statement. Olumide felt strength leave his legs as he settled into the chair.
Yetunde glared at him. “So, what will happen to Modupe?”
“We don’t have the blood she needs in this bank but we have two options. We can try to get some blood from Abuja, assuming they have blood or you can find someone who is O negative or A negative to donate. She will need three pints of blood. But find 6 donors, just in case."
"In case of what?" Ajoke asked.
The doctor shrugged. "In case of an emergency. In case any of the donor's blood are not viable. She'll need blood from someone with a healthy count of red blood cells as well as someone who is healthy, does not have any underlying illnesses, preferably someone with an AA blood type."
"Where do we find such a person, ehn. Where?" Yetunde's mother asked.
Olumide drummed his fingers on the table. "What's the real risk with delivering blood from Abuja?"
"It would take quite some money—"
Olumide waved off the rest of the doctor's sentence. "We have the money. What else?"
YOU ARE READING
Scars (Romola 2)
Romance"Then maybe you should have stayed in schoool. Instead of trying to be an elevated secretary and teaching me my Job." - - - - - Beyond managing Iya Tobi's store and pursing a shadow of an education, Romola's plate is full. It's been two years since...
